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The World of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is More Than Just Yellow Lighting
In this behind-the-scenes video for Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the Eidos Montreal development explores the world festering beneath the glow of amber lights, where humanity is in danger of losing itself and freedom fighters struggle to protect the last bastions of green lighting effects.
By Mike Fahey Published July 1, 2011 -
Two Lara Crofts. Both Pole Dancers.
There will be no more official Lara Croft girls. After having flesh-and-blood Tomb Raider spokesmodels, Eidos is ditching the fan service and focusing on creating a realistic in-game Lara Croft. That doesn’t mean totally unofficial Lara Croft models are going anywhere! Take these two nice ladies who recently competed at the UKAPP in Bristol. UKAPP?…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 1, 2011 -
The Man Behind Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII Jumps To Level-5?
Yasumi Matsuno, the Japanese video game creator best known for his work at Square Enix on titles like Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII and Tactics Ogre, may have a new home: Professor Layton and White Knight Chronicles developer Level-5. Good news? Maybe. It’s still not officially confirmed, but early reports stemming from the latest issue…
By Michael McWhertor Published June 28, 2011 -
Did this Beautiful Drawing Foretell the Wii U?
A Square Enix Final Fantasy music website went live this past January to promote the More SQ album, remixes and reworkings of iconic Final Fantasy themes. But what’s got Japanese netizens talking is the website’s splash art. Drawn by Akihiko Yoshida, Square Enix artist and character designer, the image features what looks to be the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2011 -
Report: Dragon Quest X to Surface on Wii U?
Nintendo is working on a new console. Square Enix is working on a new Dragon Quest. See where this is going? This past May, Dragon Quest composer Koichi Sugiyama seemed to indicate that DQX will be out in 2012, saying, “I’m aiming for next year and am in the middle of composing music for Dragon…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2011 -
Culture
The Dangerous Art of Tomb Raider
The new Tomb Raider game flips everything we know about Lara Croft on its head, turning one of gaming’s most dangerous superstars into a broken, vulnerable human being. Just like the rest of us. To really nail that sense that the world is a dangerous place, the game’s artists needed to make sure the landscape…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 22, 2011 -
Help Teach A Fellow How To Play The World Ends With You
Reader SecretMoblin has turned back the clock to 2008 in order to play The World Ends With You. And what better time to try this unconventional gem than what could easily be the twilight days of the DS’s lifespan? He’s got one problem: the combat’s driving him nuts. Think you could lend him a hand?…
By Drew Cohen Published June 21, 2011 -
Check Out the First Forty Minutes of Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution has had a leaked preview build available online for a few weeks now, letting people try the game out ahead of its release It’s not the whole game—just the opening sections—and as such, publishers Square Enix have been seemingly cool with people downloading it and giving it a try. If you…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 20, 2011 -
Artsy Production Firm iam8bit Struck E3 With Stealth and Swag
Multi-media collective iam8bit knows how to advertise itself: slyly, theatrically and with neat, removable swag. iam8bit does a bit of everything — they host art exhibitions and publish books, produce T-shirts and tchotchkes, and — for the right client — provide marketing and creative consultation. In the words of their online manifesto, they’re in the…
By Drew Cohen Published June 17, 2011 -
Tomb Raider Hopes to Recreate a Gaming Icon
Don’t think of Tomb Raider as an origin story, think of it instead as a sort of metaphorical creation myth, a game that won’t redefine just who Lara Croft is, but also the world in which she exists. Gone not only is her over-sexualized physique, two guns and ponytail, but also her past, her way…
By Brian Crecente Published June 16, 2011 -
Hitman Absolution Promises an Evolution in Agent 47 Kills, Skills and Personality
The most interesting thing about Hitman Absolution isn’t its new disguises or ways of killing people with a bit of cord. It’s not the decision to open the historically stealthy game up to a bit of action gameplay. It’s the insight the game’s mechanics are meant to give us into a character we’ve long controlled…
By Brian Crecente Published June 14, 2011 -
Heroes of Ruin Is Rich With Ideas, Shorter on Atmosphere
Heroes of Ruin is a deft, well-implemented multiplayer-RPG—but right now it’s lacking in distinctive character. The title, published by Square Enix and developed by n-Space, the team behind the GameCube action-adventure title Geist, is due to launch on the Nintendo 3DS in early 2012. So far, our exposure to the Heroes has mostly been limited…
By Drew Cohen Published June 13, 2011 -
Hitman Absolution In One Sexy Brochure
Hitman Absolution was one of many of the games I saw at E3 that impressed me not only with its new take on an old formula, but in the new story it was trying to tell and the character it was trying to refresh. Here’s a look at the sleek brochure the IO Interactive was…
By Brian Crecente Published June 13, 2011 -
Professor Layton Studio Making Gundam Game
Makes sense! Especially seeing how Layton designer Akihiro Hino is penning the story for new Gundam series, Gundam Age. His studio, Level-5, is also working on a new Gundam RPG for unspecified hardware. Gundam Age will encompass a new anime series, toys, plastic models, a plastic figure based in-store game, and a card-based arcade game…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 13, 2011 -
Japan’s Video Game Decline Is “Humiliating”
At the 2009 Tokyo Game Show, game designer Keiji Inafune, then at Capcom, said the Japanese game industry was “finished”. At this year’s E3, one Square Enix exec seemed to realize just that. On the way to an E3 dinner, Square Enix exec Kouji Taguchi tweeted that because Square Enix acquired Eidos, it was able…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 10, 2011 -
Who Knew the New Final Fantasy Trailer Was This Sexy?
Not me! One Japanese blog did, pointing how just how erotic Serah Farron is in the trailer Final Fantasy XIII-2. The result is a catalogue of cleavage and panty glimpses. The eroticism isn’t heavy handed or gratuitous, but it’s there. チラシの裏でゲーム鈍報:『ファイナルファンタジー13-2』セラがさらにエロくなって登場！パンチラもあり！ [チラシの裏でゲーム鈍報]
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 8, 2011 -
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Has Transforming Moogles, Recruitable Monsters and Rap
I’ve always thought that Final Fantasy XIII didn’t get a fair shake. Admittedly, it was an overwhelmingly linear journey—player agency wasn’t topmost among the priorities incorporated into its development. But it was an extraordinarily intentional game; nothing about it ever felt accidental or unplanned. It did a few things, but it did them exceedingly well:…
By Drew Cohen Published June 8, 2011 -
Tomb Raider’s E3 Screens Are Beating This Poor Woman to Death
You know what’s so appealing about this new Tomb Raider? The vulnerability. So many games turn you into a superhero that it’s refreshing to see one where breaking bones and bleeding look as dangerous as it should be. Brian’s had a play of the game, and walked away very, very impressed
By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2011